The Time Has Come,' The Walrus Said
by 3iggy
Summary: We all know that time, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, is a very tricky thing, and the Doctor, Clara, and Sarah need all of it that they can get. Can Sarah and Clara defeat Jareth's cosmic labyrinth? Will Jareth survive a date with the Doctor? WHO knows. (I've changed the the rating to M because things are about to get scary).
1. Time after Time

**A/N: Written for the Labyfic LiveJournal Challenge "A Most Unusual Development." **

**P.S. I haven't abandoned my other story (if you happen to be reading it and wondering why I am posting dribbles when it remains un-updated). I've just had a rough month. The draft is being edited and should be up soon, I swear!**

* * *

My basket was overflowing with homegrown goodness when I dropped onto a chair outside a bustling café. I'd always loved the night market. There was something extraordinary about purchasing fruit under a night sky and skipping through the streets while the summer air began to cool.

I blew lightly on the mug of decaf I'd ordered and surveyed the groups of people passing by. The stirring notes of a guitar drifted over the busy scene lending it a cinematic quality. Shoppers flitted from one booth to the next haggling over fruits and frivolities as their children ran amuck. Young couples as well as old ones clasped hands and meandered aimlessly in their love-struck ways.

As I continued my casual observations a young woman dropped into the chair next to mine with an exaggerated sigh.

"I've lost him." She stated.

"I know the feeling." I laughed.

"Clara Oswald," she extended her hand.

"Sarah Williams, at your service. Who are you after?"

"A tall fellow of indiscriminate age, dressed in black, and very cheeky." Her crisp accent was almost as charming as her speech.

"Hmm," I wondered. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"Well, you can't blame a girl for trying." She lifted her cup in my direction.

"Ain't that the truth."

She downed her drink in a flash and was back on her feet. "I suppose I'll see you around, Sarah."

"Actually, would you like some help? I can drop my basket off at my car over there and join you in the search. I've got nothing better to do."

She paused as if considering my offer. "Yeah," she finally smiled, "that would be great."

Once my basket was deposited safely into my beat-up old Volvo we ventured into the waning crowds.

"Does your friend have a name?" I asked.

"Yes, but I just call him Doctor."

"Is it likely that he would be found amongst the crowd or creeping in the shadows?"

"He'd probably be comfortable in either. Generally, when I lose him, I just search about for nervous looking people. He tends to have a certain effect."

"I see." Being somewhat taller than my new friend, I arched my gaze across the square and searched for any sort of disturbance. There was none, but I did see a conspicuously dressed man hovering around one of the small alleyways. His suit was out of place for the summer heat and he paid no mind to the wary stares that several people tossed his way.

"I may've found your Doctor." I inserted my arm into hers and dragged the woman across the cobbled streets. Recognition dawned in her eyes as we cornered the man I'd spied.

"That's him alright." Her face lit up.

"Oiee, Doctor." She hailed him.

The man mumbled to himself and continued to exam the brick wall before him, paying Clara no mind. She drew up close to him tapping his shoulder several times.

"What is it?"

He spun around with a deadly glare. I took a cautious step back and waited. The Doctor's eyes shifted from Clara's to mine and then back to hers. There was something in his look that I'd seen before. His gaze was old and mocking.

"Was one pair of too large eyes in a too round face not enough? You had to go and snag a recruit?" He shook his head and returned to his work.

"Be nice." She hissed, unaffected by his malice.

"Nice, she says." He muttered.

Abruptly, he stopped and turned on me. His fierce brow crinkled as he eyed me.

"Who did you say you were?"

"I didn't. My name is Sarah."

"Sarah." He spoke my name as if he were trying to recall if it meant anything. "Hmm," he pulled some sort of instrument from a hidden pocket, much like a birthday party magician, and pointed it at me. The thing buzzed and blinked and I frowned as he frowned.

"Interesting."

"What is it?" Clara asked.

"This girl has been in contact with trachoid time crystals." He looked at me accusingly.

"Trach...what?" I felt my eyebrow arch in a way that I generally tried to avoid.

"Trachoid time crystals. You've been moved through time and space." His eyes dared me to deny it.

My stomach lurched a bit as I tried to understand what exactly was happening.

"How can you know that by pointing a laser at me?"

He didn't answer. Instead he grabbed my wrist and tugged me further into the dark alley.

"Doctor!" Shouted his companion as she followed in our wake.

"Hey!" I tried to plant my feet into the pavement, but he was stronger than he appeared. Before I could break free, he'd yanked me into a suspiciously out of place police box. Clara stormed in behind us.

I bit my lip as my eyes scanned the unbelievable sight. "It's bigger on the inside."

"You're an astute one aren't you?" He rolled his eyes.

I'd seen some pretty miraculous things in my time, so I didn't bother to ask the hows and whys. "This is certainly some kind of awesome."

"I'm glad you approve." The Doctor drawled. "Now," he leveled me with a direct stare, "what do you know about the recent disturbances within the time space continuum?"

"Ahh, not a lot." I eloquently informed him.

"Well, you are the only person we've encountered who has been mucking about in space and time." He crossed his arms.

"I wouldn't say that I mucked about in anything. I was drawn into a rather nasty game of hide and seek fifteen years ago." I placed my hands on my hips in subtle defiance. It would be a cold day in the Underground before I let the man cow me.

"What do you mean?"

Sighing I dropped my arms and leaned against a rail. Clara stood between the two of us prepared to moderate if necessary.

"I made a very stupid wish..._Once Upon a Time_...and it was answered by the Lord of the Labyrinth, the King of Goblins."

"The King of what? Utter nonsense…" He circled around a complicated looking console.

"It isn't." I shook my head.

"You mean to tell me that some mythical king pulled you through time and space because of a wish?"

"Yes."

"That's absurd." He sneered.

"Is it really Doctor? After all we've seen you can't believe that?" Clara gave me a sympathetic glance.

"Fine." He darted around the console and grabbed my arm once more, jerking me over to all the knobs and gadgets.

"Place your finger in here and think about this place...this Labyrinth. If it exists in all of time and space we will find it." His condescending expression nearly goaded me into it.

"I'd rather not. Jareth and I didn't exactly part on good terms." I stared warily at the console.

"So your King has a name. It sounds like a fairytale to me."

"It was...in the most Grimm sort of way."

"Then show us." He shoved my hand into the place he'd indicated and immediately the Labyrinth swam to the forefront of my mind.

With a great whirling noise-_Vworp Vworp_-the police box moved. It moved us through time and space to the one place I'd never thought I'd see again. The Doctor and his companion looked as shocked I felt when we landed with a soft thud.

"No way." Clara's round eyes filled with amusement as she bounced toward the door.

"Impossible." The Doctor left me to stalk after her.

"_Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast_." I quoted strolling up beside them.

The Doctor rushed out into the red sand. His old eyes became young again as he took in the unknown landscape. "This is brilliant. Impossible, but brilliant." He dipped down to examine the sand beneath his feet.

"Oh, it's quite peachy until you run into the Jabberwock." I warned. The air was already beginning to hum, not with the sound of the police box, but with magic. We all three stood to attention as a cultured, yet disembodied, voice embraced us on the hilltop.

"_Beware the Jabberwock, my son!  
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!  
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun  
The frumious Bandersnatch!_"

Laughter colored the bit of poetry that the Goblin King had snatched from my memory. My heart stopped at the sound. It was just as I'd remembered it.

* * *

**I may be persuaded to write a second part. It does seem a little unfinished.**


	2. Laughing in the Dark

A huge thanks to **Ellen Weaver** for talking me through some plot difficulties that I was having! Thanks to her, I may very well finish this story.

P.S. I don't mean to be a posting/updating whore, but I'm snowed in people. I've got nothing better to do...

* * *

"It's time locked." The Doctor stated.

"It's what?" Clara rushed over and gave the door a hearty tug. "How can that be?" She looked up at the blue box in wonder.

I sat on the dusty ground and assessed my chucks, at least they were a little more comfy than loafers to run a labyrinth in. I fell back on the ground and stared up at the sun, not even caring that gritty sand was leeching into my socks.

"I was having such a pleasant evening," I murmured.

"Sarah." Clara's backlit face appeared before my eyes.

"Yes?"

"We can't open the TARDIS." She looked concerned.

"Of course you can't." I said. The Doctor ignored us as he paced around the box with his useless tool.

"Do you know why?"

"It's a game." I informed her from my prone position. Don't get me wrong, I was not resigned. I just thought better that way. It is a good practice to wallow in self-pity before heading out on an adventure. Self-Pity is a bitch when it sneaks up on you in the middle of an quest, best to get it out in the open early on and be done with it.

"A game? Doctor come here. Sarah says it's a game. That doesn't sound so bad."

I laughed harshly and regained my feet, shaking the warm sand off my limbs and out of my hair.

"Well?" He stormed over, all angry eyebrows and frowny faced.

I pointed to the maze. "We have to reach the castle beyond the Goblin city. We have thirteen hours, if we don't solve the Labyrinth...well usually someone has to stay and become a goblin." I shrugged.

Clara squinted, sizing up the Labyrinth. "It's doesn't look that far."

I nearly died hearing her repeat the very same words that I'd uttered over a decade ago on that very hill. Then I couldn't help myself, my inner thespian sprung to the surface and my best Goblin King voice rang out, "It is further than you think and time is short."

As the words trickled out of my mouth the same damn clock shimmered into view by the lone tree. I was sure that the air was pregnant with laughter.

"The labyrinth is a living game, and it is not enough to go the right way, to choose the correct path. You must know the right words, you must do the right things. It will hit you where you're weakest. As a child, it knew me. " I couldn't help but shudder.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked, finally taking me seriously.

"I mean that it knew my fears, it twisted them, and used them against me. I was afraid of being abandoned, forgotten, so it forgot me. I was alone, it gave me a friend, one who betrayed me. And...I wanted to be loved...so…" I couldn't continue. They got the gist of it.

"Well, if it is a game then there must be rules." Clara waited for my clarification.

"Jareth." I stated. When they looked confused I went on. We were wasting precious time, but I wasn't ready to enter those walls yet. "Jareth is the rules. He is the game, he is the opponent. He is the game-master. We will never know the rules."

I saw the words forming on her lips, and tried to stop them from coming, but they hung heavily in the air between us.

"But, that's not fair."

A low chuckle announced his presence. My eyes followed the sound. He was leaning on the blue box, arms crossed, amusement radiating from his core.

"I'm afraid Sarah has done most of my work for me. But, I can, at the very least, welcome you." His smile was predatory.

The Doctor was suspiciously quiet.

"And, though it may seem, unfair, you both have already broken a rule." He looked disappointed.

"I only play with humans." He leered at the Doctor. "Something we have in common I think."

In a blink, the Doctor and the box were gone.

Clara's eyes rounded. "Doctor! Doctor!" She turned around futilely.

As she searched, the Goblin King stalked toward me. I didn't give him the pleasure of seeing me back away. I stood my ground, playing the heroine once more.

"I'm rarely surprised, my dear. Congratulations on this one. I am generally the giver rather than the receiver of such gifts." His hand sought me out and burned a path down my cheek.

I flinched. He leered.

I won't lie, my knees weakened ever so slightly. It was regrettable that he couldn't be as hideous as his subjects.

"You know where to find your friend and his box." Jareth seized my chin.

"He is NOT my friend." I glared.

"You will still seek him out."

"How do you know? Maybe I'll stand here until time runs out and let you keep the surly fellow." I arched my brow in mock Goblin King fashion.

"You won't do that. You can't do that." He grinned as his eyes located Clara's stricken face. She had stopped her search and was eyeing us with unease.

"Go Sarah," he leaned in to whisper in my ear. His face brushed against mine and my treasonous eyes closed as my senses tried to draw him in. "Time _is_ short."

"You're already not playing fair, your majesty." I said quietly.

"Oh, this is another game entirely, my dear. I do hope that you can multitask." Much like the Cheshire Cat, his grin was the last thing to fade from sight.

oo0oOo0oo

Clara and I stood before the looming outer wall of the Labyrinth.

"You know. The Doctor would make an excellent goblin." Clara said.

"Turn back now before it's too late." I moaned.

"I am sorry about this." She smiled weakly at me. "I should've left you sitting at that cafe."

"Nah, what's life without a good soul-killing quest on occasion. Or rabid goblin monarchs who are hell bent on making sport of you? My life had been quiet for far too long, it was time for the universe to do something about that." I grinned.

"We can beat him." My words sounded confident and that had to be enough.

The entrance to the Labyrinth wasn't hidden from us this time. It waited like a hungry mouth to swallow unlucky travelers.

"Come on, Clara." I surged ahead, ready to face the the same trials, which was very stupid because of course it had changed.

Everything went dark once we passed through the gate which faded into nothing, locking us into the game. All of space loomed above us, starry skies and far off galaxies winked down upon us.

"Oh gods." I muttered.

"Bloody Hell." Clara cursed.

"This game isn't mine. The Doctor and the box, they belong to you." I studied the woman before me, what kind of horrors had she witnessed with her Doctor, who I knew for certain was not of our world. What kind of trouble could the Labyrinth pull out of her head to torment us with? Oh yes, we were both playing games, but with different stakes. Jareth's parting words turned my stomach upside down.


	3. Truth or Dare?

Frustration set in within an hour of starting our game. Clara and I had entered into the Lunar Labyrinth with attitudes that were cautiously optimistic but they were souring quickly.

Finding a break in the outer wall was insultingly easy, but once we were beyond that everything became more difficult. It was not the same as I remembered it. The passages were dark with heavy shadows that seemed to reach out for us. Thankfully, we were armed with a "torch" and a screwdriver. I hope you read that sarcastically.

Actually, the flashlight was rather handy. It at least chased the shadows away briefly.

"Did it have to be dark?" Clara sighed.

"I don't know, but my eyes are never going to work right again. I'll need a pair of those really thick glasses when this is all over, I've done so much squinting...I probably have developed a few new wrinkles."

"Wrinkles may be the least of our worries." Clara's flashlight bounced back at us from a large round mirror that had materialized on a dead-end wall. Words were written in what appeared to be red lipstick on either side of the our ghostly images. The words themselves were innocent enough, but they robbed me of breathe. TRUTH was scribbled on one side and DARE on the other.

"What does that mean?" Clara turned her round eyes on me.

"It means that we should turn back and see if we can avoid this." I spun around, knowing it was futile-you cannot run from challenges in the Labyrinth-and marched off in the opposite direction just to find myself staring at the mirror once more.

"Now what?" She asked.

"Now we know that we have to pick." I informed her. I had the distinct feeling that we'd be forced to endure both challenges. It was entirely likely that TRUTH belonged to one of us and DARE the other...and I was pretty sure that I knew which was mine. But, things are seldom what they seemed in that place.

"This isn't going to be pleasant is it?" The ghost of a smile hung on her lips.

I grimaced. "Not at all."

"I think I'd prefer TRUTH." She flashed her light in the direction of the word.

We stepped closer to the mirror and regarded our wary faces. "There are probably some right words." I thought aloud.

"Oh right right." A disembodied voice called out, startling us both.

A gargoyle face shimmered into view within the depths of the mirror. It had keen blue eyes and vampire teeth. The image leered at us in a very unfriendly manner as it spoke.

_"If I make the lashes dark _

_And the eyes more bright _

_And the lips more scarlet, _

_Or ask if all be right _

_From mirror after mirror, _

_No vanity's displayed: _

_I'm looking for the face I had _

_Before the world was made. _

_What if I look upon a man _

_As though on my beloved, _

_And my blood be cold the while _

_And my heart unmoved? _

_Why should he think me cruel _

_Or that he is betrayed? _

_I'd have him love the thing that was _

_Before the world was made."_

He cleared his throat and waited for us to be impressed. "I remembered my lines," he winked at us. It was less than charming.

"Alright mirror creature," Clara glared, "how do we choose a word?" Her hands went to her hips in a very authoritative fashion.

"How do you choose a word? Well, you shift around in your soup of a mind until there the word you find." He jeered.

"Was there a riddle within your poem?" I asked, calmly.

"Not originally." He said.

"Is there one intended now?" Clara asked, clearly annoyed.

"Yes."

"The only words that he repeated were 'Before the world was made." I frowned at her.

"Exactly." The mirror monster nodded.

"Truth or Dare...Before the world was made." I mumbled.

"Is there another clue?" Clara asked.

_"It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,_

_Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt._

_It lies behind stars and under hills,_

_And empty holes it fills._

_It comes first and follows after,_

_Ends life, kills laughter."_

The gargoyle smiled malevolently.

"Before the world was made...behind stars...comes first and follows after...ends life…" I muttered. I'd heard the riddle before, though I couldn't remember where.

Clara stared around into the shadows. "The dark!" She said to the mirror. The truth brings light, a dare can bring fears to light, and darkness comes before and after everything. We are surrounded by it." She gave the gargoyle a triumphant look.

"Correct." He smirked.

"Good one Clara," I smiled. "Can we choose our poison now?" I asked the mirror.

"Be my guest." His sharp teeth flashed at us as he extended his claw like hands in our direction. In one sat an apple that was red as blood, in the other a peach.

Instinctively, I plunged my hand into the misty surface of the mirror and grabbed the peach. Holding it up to the night, I shouted, "Damn it!" I hated peaches. They were sweet and deceptive. The fruit of all that was evil and unholy. I was not afraid of peaches...I loathed them.

Clara looked at the offending fruit with a mixture of confusion and amusement. "Is he providing snacks?" She asked. She'd been more cautious in extracting the apple from the gargoyle, gingerly pushing her fingers through the liquid glass and delicately plucking the fruit from his claws. She examined it as she spoke.

"No, this is evil goblin fruit. It is devious." I glared at the damned peach. Why had I snatched it? I could have taken the apple.

"Choose your challenge and take a bite." The gargoyle sneered as he vanished.

"Ugh." My palms were sweating and my heart racing. "This part came at the end for me last time, a final attempt to distract me from the game."

"What does it do?" Clara dangled the apple from its stem uncertainly.

I realized that I wasn't sure what it did. Did it cause dreams? Give dreams? Show you dreams? I wasn't sure. "It distracts and confuses. It is not to be trusted. You must best it."

"Ok. I've done that...with a giant alien parasite on my face...this should be easy." She grasped the apple in both hands. "Truth," she stated firmly and then took her bite.

With a cagey sigh I whispered, "Dare," and did the same. The dark, dingy world, began to dance.

oo0oOo0oo

The old familiar, bemused sensation assailed me, but it was different this time, I remembered everything. I rolled over, finding myself on the cold stone floor of the castle's throne room. I could hear voices, and Clara's muffled sounds of awakening beside me.

I sat up carefully and shook her shoulder until she pushed herself up and looked around. "Where are we?" She rubbed her eyes.

"The castle," I whispered. The throne room was all disorder and mess. I didn't have time to think about how little it'd changed because two figures materialized across the room from where we sat. "Look." I pointed.

The Doctor was calmly surveying his new surroundings while Jareth slouched upon his throne.

"So, who are you?" The Doctor finally asked.

"I've been known by many names, in many times, in many places." Jareth smirked. Neither of them acknowledged our existence. I was under the impression that we weren't really present.

"Who are you?" Jareth countered.

"The Doctor."

"Well, Doctor, as you name yourself, so must I, Jareth. That is what I call myself." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"What have you done with the girls?" The Doctor asked.

"Here." Jareth tossed a crystal to the Doctor who deftly caught it.

The Doctor glared at the image presented to him, but his voice was level as he spoke. "If you've hurt them, you will regret it."

"They are simply sleeping. Dreaming. Nothing more." Jareth's smile was feral.

The crystal burst within the Doctor's grasp. Unconcerned, he shifted his hands to his hips and began to walk about the throne room. "It is chaotic in here. How do you stand it?"

"I rather like chaos." Jareth moved from his throne to lean on a windowsill, watching the Doctor with gleaming eyes. "It has been many years since I met a Time Lord." He remarked, clearly amused.

"Right, and what exactly are you?" The Doctor's sharp eyes scanned the Goblin King.

"Not a Time Lord." Jareth replied. "I am much older than you."

"How did you lock my TARDIS?"

"I stopped time, not your TARDIS." Jareth waved his hand dismissively.

"You can't stop time."

"Oh, but I did." Jareth cocked his head.

"What do you want you foul creature?" The Doctor's voice was still calm, but his eyebrows were decidedly angry.

"Nothing from you." Jareth reappeared on the other side of the room, peering out of the opposite window, into the dark labyrinth. "You have nothing that interests me."

"Are you after that girl? You would play with time over a fickle inclination toward some human? You've been disturbing time and space around her for years haven't you? Do you have any idea what harm you could cause?" The Doctor stormed forward, wielding a finger, his magician-like coat bellowing around him.

Jareth's look was dark and menacing as he rounded upon the Doctor, "You dare call me fickle and insinuate that I don't know what I am doing? I witnessed the creation of the universe, all of time and space. I see all that was, all that is, and all that will ever be. I am not the man running away in a box, playing with time, running from time. _I am time_, and the chaos that comes before and after. _That girl_, I claimed as my own before the earth was made, she is my only equal. I am not the fickle one Doctor." The candles in the throne room flickered briefly, punctuating the last word. Jareth's face remained impassive, but his words were venom seeping into my heart.

"That's impossible." The Doctor scoffed. Although his physical appearance was much older than Jareth's never fading youth, the Doctor, in that instance, looked like a school boy facing a particularly nasty tutor.

Rather than contradict the Doctor, Jareth attacked once more. "You on the other hand, are quite the fickle little _Time Lord_. Your race gives itself such airs." The Goblin King rolled his eyes as he drew nearer the Doctor. "You don't know what you want. Yes, you want companionship, but you don't really like the risk that comes with it. You want to be adored, but you are afraid to love in return. You want peace, but you are a warrior, you thrive on discord, on misfortune. I am not the only one in this room who loves chaos I simple do not prescribe to any type of morality that hinders my enjoyment of it." Jareth smirked and returned to his throne.

"You are arrogant." The Doctor drawled.

"As are you." Jareth smiled, sharp-teeth flashing. "I am exactly what I am Doctor, I've no use for hiding." Jareth's cold laugh embraced us and everything went dark.

* * *

*Lunar Labyrinth is a short story by Neil Gaiman.

*Poem is Yeats "Before the World was Made."

*Riddle is Tolkien's from The Hobbit

A/N: I've positioned Jareth as a kind of Chronos (not to be confused with Cronus) figure here...hopefully that's not too silly of an idea. I am finding this difficult to write, I want it to be dark...but I've not got much experience with writing thusly. Hopefully it turns out alright in the end.


	4. Oysters

Much thanks to **Ellen Weaver** for bouncing about with ideas.

* * *

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:  
"I deeply sympathize."  
With sobs and tears he sorted out  
Those of the largest size,  
Holding his pocket-handkerchief  
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,  
"You've had a pleasant run!  
Shall we be trotting home again?'  
But answer came there none-  
And this was scarcely odd, because  
They'd eaten every one.

* * *

The world was remade as quickly as it had been undone. A strong sense of déjà vu struck me as the throne room fizzled back into life.

_DARE._

I scrambled to my feet and scanned the room wildly. He was there, somewhere. I felt him; his icy eyes wreaked havoc across my skin, sending a ripple of goose-bumps up my arms. Clara was nowhere in sight and the gods only knew what was happening to her.

"You are too old for hide and seek, your majesty." I called to the corners of the room, pretending to be brave.

"Quite right, my dear." His cultured voice sang into my ear as a vice-like grip tightened around my waist, anchoring me to him. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to deal with the fact that I couldn't see his face standing behind me like he was.

I wanted to kindly remind him that he had no power over me, but somehow I knew it wasn't true. Not then, perhaps not ever. Maybe he'd been humoring me all those years ago, at any rate his previous conversation with the Doctor sounded like a funeral keening to my ears. I was not safe there in his arms.

"You're oddly quiescent." He hummed.

"I'm simply calculating my next move, your grace." I growled.

"That a girl." Roughly, he pushed me from him.

I turned to gift him with my most deadly glare and he smiled in the face of my ferocity.

"What do you want, Jareth?" I could still feel his hands on my waist.

"This isn't about what I want. You have to finish your challenge." He arched an eyebrow in a way that would've been playful...for another being.

"What would you have me do, game-master?" I mimicked his uncanny head-tilting.

"Come to me." He extended his gloved hand in my direction. I looked at him warily, knowing that I had to see the dare through.

I did as he required feeling like the proverbial virgin approaching the proverbial volcano-primed for sacrifice. "Is that all?" I drawled, my voice bored.

Jareth's hand, his actual hand, not a gloved one, grazed my cheek, combed through my hair and down my neck. Against my will, I shivered. His eyes laughed as they caught my reaction.

"Now kiss me." He smirked, but his eyes were flat, deadly.

I swallowed hard. I'd thought of him kissing me before. Who wouldn't? He was gorgeous...I was not blind or a nun. Sister Sarah Williams was not ever going to be a thing, but I had never considered kissing him. Always, in any dream or misguided fantasy, he'd kissed me. Now he was daring me to do the unthinkable. And, he was doing it out of spite, not passion, which was doubly mortifying.

"Fine." I threw my arms around his neck, closed my eyes, and went right to it. The kiss was hollow, at first, he'd made me bend, but his stiff triumph melted beneath my lips. He pulled me to him, and deepened my half-hearted attempt. The effect of his attentions were far more potent than any damnable peaches.

I lost it. My resolve, my mind, my purpose, my name, my everything flew out the round window. I wanted to rip him to pieces. I was a mad woman. My skin tingled, my heart beat in my chest like a caged animal, and I just wanted him. I wanted him like I'd never wanted anything in my life.

A miraculous bit of sanity shone into my soul and I pushed him away, panting. Maybe my starved lungs had awoken me from the temporary bout of insanity. I may've kissed him to death.

"Oh, I hate you." I panted. Tears were pooling behind my eyes. There was too much emotion, too much to process, and I just didn't have time to deal with that. I had a game to play, to win. He was distracting me again, and his tactics were so much more effective now.

Jareth's expression was one of thinly concealed victory as his canine grin reappeared. "You're such a precious thing," he snarled.

"I kissed you. I completed your dare. Let me go." I fought to control my voice, to steady it.

"It's inevitable, you know. You will be mine." His eyes were once again flat and serious, which was more frightening by far than his snarls and mocking.

"I won't."

"Everything I've done, I've done for you." His haphazard eyes searched my face.

They were the last thing I saw before I felt Clara shaking me awake.

"Sarah…Sarah!" She called. I opened my eyes slowly, still swamped with too much information, too many feels.

"It's ok, I am up." I fumbled to obtain a seated position.

_Everything I've done, I've done for you. _Those words, they had haunted me for years, and once again he had thrown them at me.

"Ugh." I grunted, dropping my head into my hands.

"That wasn't so bad." She slumped against the wall. The mirror had swung open like a door, waiting to be entered.

"All those awful things Jareth said about your friend. Are they true?" I asked, trying to distract myself from my own troubles, trying to pull myself back together. I blinked at Clara, readjusting to the dark.

She was quiet a moment. "Yes. I suppose they are."

"I'm sorry." I mumbled.

"Don't be. It doesn't matter, he's still my Doctor and no jackass time-man is going to keep me from him." She stood, looking resolute. I needed to regain that feeling.

"Is he a good man despite what Jareth said?" I asked.

"I don't know. But he's mine." She extended her hand to me. I took it and we stepped through the looking glass.

* * *

Short chapter...probably should have finished this and tagged it on to the last one. Oh well. Thank you guys for the reads and reviews. They are much appreciated. I didn't intend for this story to be more than a few thousand words, so thanks for sticking with it.


	5. Midnight

_Why are you repeating?_

* * *

The mirror door slammed behind us, it was an ominous hollow sound. We found ourselves inside a series of dimly lit tunnels, worming their way to some unforeseen end.

"Do you feel that?" Clara asked.

"A sickening sense of despair and self-pity? Yes and not infrequently." I ventured into the tunnels. The way forward is sometimes the way back, but it didn't look as though that were the case at the moment.

"No. This feels familiar. I don't like this place." She walked stiffly beside me. "I knew exactly what she meant. The tunnels were eerily quiet, I'd have given good money to hear a snicker or goblin giggle. I had to keep reminding myself that this was not the Labyrinth from my memory.

We stayed on the path, or what seemed like a path in a maze of tin tunnels. Only certain passages were lined with the low flickering light, others were dark like tombs, we avoided those.

"We could be walking around in endless circles." Clara said after a while. It was hard to keep track of the hours in the Labyrinth at the best of times, it was nearly impossible enclosed within such an unchanging landscape.

"You're right." I stopped.

"What should we do?" She asked.

"You're not going to like it, but I think that we need to go in there." I pointed at the black hole of a tunnel to our left. It appeared like a solid darkness, as if the dark were a living organism, and it waited for us.

"People have good reason to be afraid of the dark," Clara spoke as though she could read my thoughts. "It is a survival instinct. Not everyone comes back out of the dark. I've learned that while traveling with the Doctor."

"Well, I think we must go in there, there's no time to waste running around in circles if you want to save your friend." I inhaled deeply. The Labyrinth hadn't killed me before...why would it now? But something sinister waited in the dark, I was sure of it. I took Clara's hand anyway, and we passed into the dark tunnel. Our flashlight barely made a dint in the darkness.

The sound of our footsteps echoed around us as we were swallowed up by the dark. The light from the tunnels behind us went out, and the flashlight died. We were totally blind.

"Don't let go of my hand." I urged her.

"No chance." Her voice sounded far away.

Methodically, we stumbled over to the edges of the tunnel, running our free hands across the tin sides of our prison. It was impossible to know for certain, but I was nearly sure that we were in an oubliette.

"The tunnel we came in through is gone." Clara whispered.

"I know." I whispered back. There was no need to whisper, except that I felt as though something was there in the darkness with us. I assumed that Clara did as well. I didn't want to mention it.

"I think we're in an oubliette." I stated quietly.

"That's French."

"I think so, it is a place you put things…"

"To forget about them." She finished.

"Exactly." The feeling of being watched was increasing. I tried not to panic, but my breaths were coming faster, my heart was starting to race. I could hear Clara breathing in the dark as well.

"Are you afraid?" I whispered. She squeezed my hand in reply. I swallowed hard.

"You can only escape oubliettes by finding a trap door. Usually they are at the top of the dungeon, but that isn't always the case in the Labyrinth." I knew that we needed to search for the door, but I didn't want to move.

"Maybe it's beneath us?" She said.

"Possibly." We stooped down together and began searching across the cool smooth floor, never letting go of one another. With every movement my breathing came is harsh, ragged gasps. My palms were sweating, I was terrified. Something was in the oubliette with us and we couldn't see it, we couldn't hear it, but we both felt it and were trying to ignore our natural instincts to flee, really there was no where to go.

We crawled around a few feet, it was slow going since we were trying to maintain contact, but my fear lessen slightly while being preoccupied by our search. That is, until I felt breath on my face. It may've been Clara's, my mind tried to reason with me, but my heart had stopped. I held my breath and listened. Clara's fearful panting was coming from my left...which meant that something or someone else was breathing into my face, in the dark.

Carefully, slowly, I brought my free hand up from the ground and reached out, searching. My hand felt nothing but empty air for several moments, and then it made contact with a soft, warm bit of skin. I whimpered, making Clara stop her search, she become utterly still at my side.

My hand moved as though it had a mind of its own. My fingers identified a soft cheek, a chin, a neck, and a sweep of long thick hair. These things were not novel, I'd felt them many times before, they were my own.

I jerked my hand back as though it had been stung and scrambled away from the thing that felt like me, nearly losing Clara in my haste.

"What? What is it?" She hissed.

A dim light flickered on, dimmer than in the tunnels before but we could see well enough to make out two figures in the shadows.

Jumping to our feet, we stood in unison, looking at ourselves. My fifteen year old self stared at me with intrigued eyes, next to her a Clara dressed in red waited with the same watchful expression.

"What are they?" Clara asked, not looking at me, we couldn't take our eyes off of the clones.

"I don't know."

The clone Sarah swiveled her jeering gaze in my direction and smiled. I shivered.

"_It's a piece of cake_." Young Sarah sniggered.

I unwillingly repeated her. The words were pulled from my mouth, I brought my hand up to cover my shocked lips.

"_Hello. Are you real? Are you actually properly real_?" Fake Clara sneered. And, the real Clara was drawn to her, as the exact same words tumbled out of her lips.

We were repeating ourselves.

Silence reigned for several moments before the real Clara spoke to me, her eyes never leaving the face of her clone. "I don't know this girl. She looks like me, sounds like me, but I don't remember her." The new Clara seconded her as we stared, mystified by our doubles.

"_Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city to take back the child that you have stolen_." Young Sarah confronted me. Her words, _my words_, rushed past my lips so fast we were talking in unison as she accused me.

"_My will is as strong as yours, my kingdom as great_." We continued. But, she didn't finish. She just looked at me, she was accusing me. I was confronting myself.

"_I can bear it no longer. Goblin King. Goblin King. Wherever you may be take this child of mine far away from me." _We hissed together. Her young eyes silently mocking me. As I tried to process what was happening, I picked up traces of Clara's conversation with herself.

"_Oh! Mr. Grumpy. Bad combo. No sense of humor and that chin._"

"_See what you did there._"

"_Do you know how you make someone into a Dalek? Subtract love, add anger. Doesn't she seem a bit too angry to you_?"

_"So. Doctor. I've been looking you up. You're all over the database. Why do the Daleks call you the Predator."_

_"Where am I_?"

_"I'm human."_

Young Sarah changed dialogue suddenly, making me eat words that were never mine. "_Sarah, beware. I have been generous up until now. I can be cruel_."

"_Stop! Look what I'm offering you. Your dreams_."

Repeating Jareth's words was highly distressing. Feeling the silent rage contained within them made me sick. Hidden beneath the rage was something very different, something more dangerous, desperation. Clara's conversation wasn't going any better.

"_Oswin. We have a problem._"

"_Does it look real to you_?"

"_It's a dream, Oswin. You dreamed it for yourself because the truth was too terrible_."

We had to get away from ourselves, to move past them. I knew the words I had to utter to young Sarah. This test...this challenge was a low blow meant to unsettle us further. Jareth was plainly informing Clara and I that we were our own worse enemies.

I advanced on young Sarah. "You have no power over me." With one last mocking glance she faded.

Clara stood, silently staring at the red-dress version of herself. She didn't know the right words, or at least she couldn't figure out what words they were, and I couldn't help her.

"_It's a dream_." They repeated. "_It's a dream_."

Minutes passed and still, all they said was, "_It's a dream_." It was unnerving. Slowly, the real Clara moved toward the fake one, knowledge spreading across her face as she said sternly, "Run." With a cold tilt of her head, the second Clara vanished and the ground fell from beneath us.


	6. Blink: Part I

_Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good Luck._

* * *

I came to slowly, quietly, as if from a dream. The world was alive with stars, gone were the chambers of tin, the dim fizzing lights, and the cold darkness. Clara was gone as well.

"Ugg." I groaned, rolling myself into a sitting position. The sensation of losing and regaining consciousness was growing old fast. My tired eyes scanned the wilderness around me. Wayward trees stood tall and silent against the twilight sky, the stars that blinked between their branches appeared to me as gemstone leaves, glittering foliage.

I knew that there was no reason to search for Clara. We had come to two paths and our ways had diverged. All along we'd been playing separate games, we were simply fellow travelers for a time. She had to face the last leg of her quest on her own, as did I, that was the way it was done.

_You have no power over me._

Dusting myself off, I stood up. The path before me was clear, there was only one way to go. Gathering the last threads of my sanity and determination, I walked quickly down the tree lined alley, noting the glistening brick of the high walls. It was beautiful-a twinkling cage meant to ensnare me, entangle me. Life is always more difficult when our enemies are so enchanting, when they so fully understand us.

The path opened up into a courtyard and the castle at the center of the labyrinth burst into view, silhouetted against the indigo sky. It was close enough to know, but too far to touch. Dreams, it was a palace of dreams, fantasies, and hope. Everything and nothing awaited me there.

I felt his eyes fall upon me before his voice leapt out of the shadows that hugged the corners of the courtyard.

"Do you know what time it is?" The cadence of his words was lovely and devious all at once.

"All I know is that it's short." I smiled over my shoulder as my eyes found his pale, beautiful, face. I could nearly hear the curl of his lips as he sneered in my direction.

"Too right." He angled his head.

"I suppose that pleases you." I sighed.

"Mildly." He laughed lowly.

Defeat was sinking into my heart. I wasn't winning. I didn't know the rules of our game, I didn't understand what was at stake, or even how to try to win. Somehow, I had played right into his elegant hands, and I was utterly bewildered.

"You've traveled far." Jareth began to prowl about me, making a circle that tightened around me.

"But this is where it ends." My eyes locked onto his which were colder than the heart of any dead star. Possession and triumph glittered behind those feral eyes.

"Everything I've done, I've done for you." He extended one gloved hand, I retreated from his treacherous touch.

"I didn't ask for any of this." I hissed at him.

"Did you not?" His smile could cut crystal. "You called to me through the eons, you pulled me from the whirling chaos at the dawn of time." Even when his voice was serious, mischief and mockery clung to him, complicating his statements. Sincerity and real truth were not key components of his nature. I wanted to change the subject.

"Where is Clara? What can you want with her and the Doctor? Aren't they just means to this end? Let them go." I advanced upon him, invading his space, putting myself at his mercy.

Distrust colored his expression. My frankness, my deflection and closeness didn't sit well with him. However, he stood his ground, glaring above me.

"Here," he said simply, pulling an iridescent orb from the night around us. He held it out to me. If I wanted to know Clara's fate, I had to accept his gift.

I took it without question. Clara was running. She was running through the heart of time and space in pursuit of her Doctor. I knew that she would find him. No power could separate her from her dear friend.

"He really doesn't deserve her affections." Jareth tsked.

"Do you deserve mine?" I asked without looking away from Clara.

"It's been a long time since the beat of my heart was a friend." He whispered.

I ignored his uncanny statement. "How is he undeserving?"

"He wants too much. He is never satisfied, never satiated."

"Are you not the same?" I murmured.

"No. I want you. Only you." He didn't say it like a man, with need, or longing. There was no room for pity or empathy, not even arrogance. He wanted me like a tide wants to creep up upon the shore, like the sun wants to shine upon the moon, or death wants to devour all things that move and breathe. I knew then that if I had any hope to thwart him in this new game that I'd have to defeat myself first. We all know that the moon pulls the tide in upon the shore, and that life tempts death at every turn, often longs for it. Jareth wanted me because I had longed for him. I wanted him, recklessly. And, I knew that he saw it in my eyes. He knew me well.

* * *

Sorry for the brevity of this half chapter. I've been in a rut, I needed to write and send something out into the abyss to get myself rolling again. That being said, forgive me if this chapter seems odd or out of the blue. It was slightly free-written...with only a teensy bit of a plan. But, I do know what's coming.

Bits and pieces of the dialogue in this chapter are inspired by my current fixation with Roo Panes and his loveerly lyrics. I won't lie, I stole a few lines. Thank you guys for the reviews and for sticking with this story. I believe we are quickly coming to a resolution of sorts.


	7. Blink: Part II

"The time has come," the Walrus said,  
"To talk of many things:  
Of shoes-and ships-and sealing-wax-  
Of cabbages-and kings-  
And why the sea is boiling hot-  
And whether pigs have wings."

_People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff._

_It's in the rules, and I should warn you... one of us always tells the truth... and one of us always lies. That's a rule to... He always lies._

* * *

"The clock is ticking." Jareth chided.

"I've only finished two challenges...I suppose there are three and you're trying to move me along?" I quirked a brow at him. I was feeling resigned, not an altogether familiar feeling, I wondered if he was poisoning my mind somehow.

"Clever girl." He drew a step closer to me, predatory eyes flashing. In a heartbeat we were once more in the throne room. The Doctor sat upon the window sill, he hardly reacted to our sudden appearance. There was still no sign of Clara.

Jareth leered in apparent glee from his throne, he didn't speak or move...he watched. His rapt attention made me uneasy, my skin prickled and my stomach churned. I was so unnerved that it took Clara's unexpected entrance to make me realize that I'd been staring him down.

Crashing through the door of the blue box, Clara came to an abrupt halt when she saw us. With wild eyes she scanned the room, her gaze settled upon the Doctor. Relief flooded her flushed face. Panting, she turned to address his majesty.

"I've made it to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth. Does that mean I win? Can we go?" She spoke briskly.

"You're right, you have. However, Sarah explained the rules of a game she and I played a long time ago. You see, they've changed a bit since then." He smiled amiably.

Clara's face became a blank slate. The Doctor and I said nothing.

"What do you want?" Clara gave him her full attention. She was clever herself, and patient, calculating even...she wouldn't let him get to her quite the way he did me.

"You have one final challenge to complete, but it is a fun one, I assure you." He leaned forward, donning his Cheshire grin.

"Ok. Let's have it then." She shifted her hands to her hips and waited.

"The Doctor will tell you three things. You tell me which is a lie." Jareth canted his head and smiled at the Doctor.

I realized that this could be a very uncomfortable game. Interest peaked, I turned away from Jareth and observed the Doctor and Clara.

"Well, let's get on with it then Doctor." Clara faced her friend without an ounce of trepidation.

"Make sure that your statements are entertaining ones _Time Lord_." Jareth sneered.

The Doctor looked at Clara with his ancient eyes for only a second before he allowed them to sear into Jareth.

"I'm better off alone." The Doctor drawled. "But, when you travel with me, I do all the talking and you stay close."

"Those are the rules." Clara smirked as she turned back toward Jareth.

"Well?" He smiled pleasantly.

"Rule number one, the Doctor always lies." Clara's eyes danced with mischief.

Jareth's face rearranged itself into a thoughtful expression before he grinned again. "Doctor, do you ever actually follow the rules?" He laughed.

"Good men don't need rules." Clara said plainly. "Now, I've told you what was a lie. We are free to go."

"Yes." Jareth leaned back, satisfied.

Clara moved toward the blue box, but stopped upon realizing that I and the Doctor were not moving.

"Well, come on before he changes his mind." She huffed at us.

"Oh, he won't change his mind. He _does_ follow the rules." Slowly the Doctor approached Jareth. "He's not finished with the girl."

"Woman." I corrected absentmindedly.

"Whatever." The Doctor waved a hand dismissively.

"Correct, Doctor. Sarah and I have another round yet, and she is slowly running out of time." Jareth was a blank page, it was impossible for me to read any emotion in his desultory eyes.

"I'm no villain Doctor." Jareth chuckled at last. "Sarah has nothing to fear from me. She's her own worse enemy, as is your little friend over there. You see, they don't quite understand."

"What don't we understand?" Clara retorted, moving toward the Doctor.

"Anything...everything..." Jareth grinned enigmatically.

"But, you are a villain, you fiend!" I finally found my voice and was tired of being spoken about as if I wasn't in the room.

"What have I done?" He turned those helter-skelter eyes on me.

"You stole Toby from me." I whispered.

"I did what you asked." He replied casually. "Everything I've done, I've done for you."

"But, I didn't mean it. I didn't want it..." I tried to state calmly assuming the role of a fifteen year old girl at the mercy of a fairy-tale yet again. "...not really."

"Orange and blue." The Doctor flashed his angry old eyes at me.

"What?" I was beginning to feel like I was part of some sick pantomime. I was repeating once more.

"You cannot reason with him, not from your moral standpoint. You're on two completely different planes of thought. You are black and white, he is orange and blue. And, to him you are most assuredly in the wrong." The Doctor turned to give Clara a warning look, a look of preparation. "Finish his game woman." He barked at me.

Suddenly, I was the game-master. I felt the weight of it descend upon me.

"Jareth, tell me three things and I will tell you what is a lie." I spoke automatically, thoughtlessly, emotionlessly.

His grin was quick as were his words.

"You asked that the child be taken. I took him." His words were layered with meaning. "I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you."

And then finally he spoke the words I knew were coming, "Your love...your fear of me are inevitable, there is nowhere for you to run now because you ran to me." He was so chaotically beautiful in his righteous indignation. There was joy and hope in those fallen eyes, he would have his due, he would get his revenge.

I swallowed hard, my heart dropped out of my chest, and the breath rushed from my body. "You always tell the truth."

Cheshire grin be damned, he looked more like a crocodile and I was suddenly the villain, I was Captain Hook listening to the _Tick Tock _of the clock as my old adversary swam about me. The Doctor and Clara were most certainly Wendy and Peter-Pan. He had grabbed her hand and was pulling her into the box.

"There's no more to be done here." He growled as she tried to resist and sent worried glances my way.

"But, Doctor..." She mouthed.

"But, nothing. She's no innocent, she's not a child, let her clean up her own mess. We can do no more here." His words stung, but I knew that they were true. I knew that his concern had been the shifts in time, the disruption they could cause. I was the root of the problem, Jareth had fixed me. I was the villain. I was maybe black and white, and Jareth Orange and Blue, but the Doctor was most certainly neither...he was all Greys.

_Vworp Vworp_

And they were gone.

oo0oOo0oo

I'm watching him now. He is Time and I am Inevitability. He moves and I watch and wait...I wait...

I feel as if my entire life has led to this point, this fixed mark. Is he to blame, or am I? I don't know. Perhaps, it was all chance. I don't know and I am unraveling as his wayward glance flashes over me. My pulse quickens, and my heart itself begins to tick like a clock in my throat.

"I've been waiting for forever." He sighs, suddenly still.

I don't talk. His will is as strong as mine, his kingdom as great.

Slowly, as though savoring every second of his triumph, he brings his lips to me ear. "You have no power over me."

But, he's wrong...just as I was all those years ago. We are two sides of the same coin, a push and a pull.

I don't mention this to him, I just let him kiss me. His hands are in my hair, his teeth crack me open. It feels both right and wrong, good and bad...maybe I am afraid, but I realize that I love it.

Perhaps I won't always be black and white...maybe I should run...maybe _It's a dream_.

Children yet, the tale to hear,  
Eager eye and willing ear,  
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,  
Dreaming as the days go by,  
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream —  
Lingering in the golden gleam —  
Life, what is it but a dream?

* * *

Firstly, I want to thank Jalen Strix for introducing me to concept of Orange and Blue morality. (I had to look it up after encountering the term in her writing.)

Secondly, thank you folks who have listened to me complain about things such as writing this story in first person, especially Ellen Weaver and tmwillson3.

Lastly, thank you for reading and reviewing. You're lovely.

All quotes are from The Labyrinth, Through the Looking-Glass, and various episodes of Doctor Who.

And, babewiththepower, I am sorry there was not more lovely-doveyness...


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